Earthquakes Weekly Update: November 1, 2010

The San Jose Earthquakes open the second leg of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series against the New York Red Bulls on Thursday, Nov. 4 at Red Bull Arena at 5 p.m. PT. The game will air live on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN3. The Earthquake fell 1-0 in the first leg of the series on Saturday, Oct. 30 at Buck Shaw Stadium. New York midfielder Joel Lindpere scored the lone goal of the game in the 56th minute to give the Red Bulls a 1-0 lead in the two-game, aggregate goal playoff series. Earlier this season on Aug. 28, the Earthquakes fell 2-0 to the Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena with goals from Dane Richards and Thierry Henry.

Earthquakes Schedule for the Week of 11/1/10Tuesday, November 2 – Travel to New YorkWednesday, November 3 – Training in New YorkThursday, November 4 – Earthquakes at New York Red Bulls at 5 p.m. PT at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey. Broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN3.

Last GameNew York Red Bulls 1, Earthquakes 0; Oct. 30, 2010; Buck Shaw Stadium; Santa Clara, CaliforniaThe San Jose Earthquakes dropped the first leg of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series 1-0 to the New York Red Bulls Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd of 10,525 at Buck Shaw Stadium. The lone goal came in the 56th minute courtesy of Red Bulls midfielder Joel Lindpere, who collected a loose ball and finished well to Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Busch’s left at the far post. The Earthquakes nearly tied in the game in the 83rd minute when forward Chris Wondolowski put his volley hard into the ground. San Jose forward Eduardo jumped on the loose ball, only to hit the post with his rebound shot. In the 93rd minute, San Jose midfielder Bobby Convey struck a hard shot from the edge of the 18-yard box that New York goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul spilled, but the Earthquakes couldn’t get to the ball in time.

Misc. Notes

Playoff FormatConference Semifinal series are conducted in a home-and-home, aggregate-goal format. The winner of the series advances to a single-game Conference Championship. The team that scores the most goals in the home-and-home series advances to the single elimination Conference Championship. If the teams are tied after 180 minutes in the Conference Semifinal series, a 30-minute extra time period (divided into two 15-minute periods) will be played followed by kicks from the penalty mark, if necessary. The team with the higher seed between the two Conference finalists will host the Conference Championship game. In the case of ties after 90 minutes of regulation in the Conference Championship game and MLS Cup, 30 minutes of extra time (divided into two 15-minute periods) is played followed by kicks from the penalty mark, if necessary, to determine the winners.

First MLS Cup Playoff Game at Buck Shaw StadiumThe first leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinal series between the San Jose Earthquakes and the New York Red Bulls marked the first MLS Cup Playoff game played at Buck Shaw Stadium. It was also the first MLS Cup Playoff game played in the Bay Area since the Earthquakes faced the Los Angeles Galaxy on Oct. 29, 2005 in the second leg of the Western Conference Semifinals.

Seven Earthquakes Players Make MLS Cup Playoffs DebutSeven players on the San Jose Earthquakes made their MLS Cup Playoff debuts on Saturday, Oct. 30 in a 1-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls at Buck Shaw Stadium. Midfielders Sam Cronin (started, played 69 minutes) and Geovanni (started, played 82 minutes), forwards Ryan Johnson (started, played 90 minutes), Chris Wondolowski (started, played 90 minutes) and Eduardo (entered the game as a substitute, played 28 minutes, and defenders Brandon McDonald (started, played 90 minutes) and Tim Ward (started, played 90 minutes) each made their first appearance in a playoff game.

Busch Records Third Most Saves in a Playoff Game in his CareerSan Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch made six saves on Saturday, Oct. 30 in a 1-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls, the third most saves Busch has made in a playoff game in his career. The most saves Busch has made in a playoff game is eight, which he achieved twice. In 2002 as a member of the Columbus Crew, Busch recorded eight saves against the Earthquakes in a 2-1 win for Columbus on Sept. 25 in the first game of the quarterfinals. Last year as a member of the Chicago Fire, Busch made eight saves in 0-0 draw against Real Salt Lake on Nov. 14 in the Eastern Conference Final.

Wondolowski Wins 2010 Budweiser Golden BootSan Jose Earthquakes forward and Major League Soccer MVP finalist Chris Wondolowski claimed the 2010 Budweiser Golden Boot, awarded to the top goal scorer at the end of the MLS regular season. Wondolowski’s career-high 18 goals through 28 games played this season helped the Earthquakes to their first playoff appearance since the team rejoined MLS in 2008. Wondolowski trailed Los Angeles Galaxy forward Edson Buddle by six goals (14-8) with eight games to play (through games on September 11). By winning the Budweiser Golden Boot, he becomes the first player to win an MLS goal-scoring title, either jointly or outright, by erasing a deficit of five or more goals in his last 10 games. Wondolowski also becomes the first player in San Jose franchise history to win the Golden Boot. In 2004, Brian Ching scored 12 goals, which was tied with FC Dallas forward Eddie Johnson for the league lead in goals. However, in 2004, MLS did not award the Golden Boot, but recognized the MLS Scoring Champion, given to the player with the most points in the season.

Wondolowski and Convey Named Finalists for End of Year AwardsQuakes forward Chris Wondolowski and midfielder Bobby Convey have been named finalists for Major League Soccer’s end of the year awards. Wondolowksi is a finalist for Volkswagen Most Valuable Player, along with FC Dallas midfielder David Ferreira and Los Angeles Galaxy forward Edson Buddle. He was also named a finalist for the Fair Play Individual of the Year along with Chicago Fire defender C.J. Brown and Philadelphia Union forward Sebastien Le Toux. Convey was named a finalist for the Comeback Player of the Year with New York Red Bulls defender Chris Albright and FC Dallas forward Brek Shea.

Around the MLS Cup PlayoffsThe Colorado Rapids lead the Columbus Crew 1-0 in aggregate goals heading into the second leg of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 1 p.m. PT at Crew Stadium. FC Dallas lead Real Salt Lake 2-1 in aggregate goals heading into the second leg of their Western Conference Semifinal series on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. PT at Rio Tinto Stadium. Finally, the Los Angeles Galaxy lead Seattle Sounders FC 1-0 in aggregate goals heading into the second leg of their Western Conference Semifinal series on Sunday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. PT at The Home Depot Center.

Wondolowski Sets Club Single Season Goals Record, Moves Up All-Time ListForward Chris Wondolowski had a tremendous season for the San Jose Earthquakes in 2010, scoring a club record 18 goals in one season. Wondolowski surpassed Ronald Cerritos’ record of 15 goals achieved in 1999 in the Earthquakes’ 3-0 victory over Chivas USA on Oct. 20 at Buck Shaw Stadium. In that game Wondolowski notched his second hat trick of the season, tying Cerritos’ record on the first goal and surpassing it on the second goal. With 21 goals in his career in San Jose, Wondolowski is tied with Eric Wynalda for fifth place on the club’s all-time goals scored list. Finally, Wondolowski is first all-time in team history in goals per game with 21 in 44 games played for an average of 0.48.

More History for WondoFrom Sept. 15 to Oct. 23, San Jose forward Chris Wondolowski scored all 10 of the Earthquakes goals, setting the all-time MLS record for the most consecutive goals scored by one player. Wondolowksi passed former Los Angeles Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz, who scored nine straight for the Los Angeles Galaxy from 2002-2003. Also, Wondolowski accounted for 52.9 percent (18 of 34) of the Earthquakes’ goals in the 2010 season, which is the second highest such percentage all-time in MLS history. Only Ruiz has a higher percentage when he scored 24 of his team’s 44 goals (54.5%) in 2002, the year which he won MVP for the Galaxy. Finally, Wondolowski owns the third-highest scoring percentage in MLS history, scoring 25 goals on 111 shots (22.5%). Former San Jose forward Giovanni Savarese has the highest scoring percentage, scoring 51 goals on 218 shots (23.4%), followed by Adolfo Valencia of New York (21 goals on 93 shots, 22.6%).

Wondolowski Finishes First in Game-Winning GoalsSan Jose forward Chris Wondolowski finished the regular season with a Major League Soccer best nine game-winning goals, which surpassed the previous club record of six game-winning goals in a single season. Wondolowski’s nine game-winning goals in a single season are tied for the most in MLS history with Carlos Ruiz, who achieved the feat for the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2002, the year in which he won the MLS MVP award. Additionally, with ten career game-winning goals in his career with the Earthquakes Wondolowksi is tied with Landon Donovan for second place on the all-time game-winning goals list.

Quakes Record Third Highest Point Total in Franchise HistoryThe Quakes finished 13-10-7 with 46 points, which ranks third all-time in franchise history. The Quakes high-water mark came with a Supporter’s Shield in 2005 when the team earned 64 points. San Jose had 51 points in 2003, the year they won their second MLS Cup Championship in franchise history.

San Jose Sets Single Season Shutout RecordThe San Jose Earthquakes set the franchise record for shutouts in a season with 13 clean sheets in 2010. Number 13 came on Oct. 20 in a 3-0 win over Chivas USA at Buck Shaw Stadium. The previous record of 12 shutouts was set in 2005 when the Earthquakes won the lone Supporter’s Shield in club history.

San Jose Facing New York in Playoffs for the First TimeThis series marks the first time San Jose and New York have faced each other in the postseason. Overall, the Earthquakes are 15-10-6 against New York, including a stellar 11-3-2 record at home. This season the Earthquakes defeated the Red Bulls 4-0 on May 8 at Buck Shaw Stadium, lost 2-0 on Aug. 28 at Red Bull Arena and lost 1-0 Oct. 30 in the first leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at Buck Shaw Stadium.

Convey Finishes Fifth in Assists, Tied for First in Game-Winning AssistsEarthquakes midfielder Bobby Convey finished the regular season fifth in MLS in assists with 10. Landon Donovan of the Los Angeles Galaxy led the league with 16 assists, followed by David Ferreira of FC Dallas (13), Brad Davis of the Houston Dynamo (12) and Sebastien Le Toux of the Philadelphia Union (11). Convey’s 10 assists were the most by an Earthquakes player since 2005 when Dwayne De Rosario notched 13 assists, and are a career-high in a single season for the Philadelphia native. Additionally, Convey finished the regular season tied for the league lead in game-winning assists with five, along with Ferreira and Donovan. The five game-winning assists are tied for the most in a single season in club history with Eddie Lewis (1999) and De Rosario (2005).

Busch Among MLS All-Time LeadersSan Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch is among the all-time league leaders in a number of categories. Busch ranks first all-time in saves percentage (76.1%), seventh in goals against average (1.19), ninth in games played in goal (165), ninth in games started in goal (162), ninth in minutes played in goal (14,810), ninth in wins (67), ninth in saves (688) and eighth in shutouts (53).

Road WarriorsWith a road record this season of 6-5-4, the Earthquakes had more wins on the road than the team had in 2008 and 2009 combined. In 2008, the Earthquakes went 2-8-5 on the road in their first season back. In 2009, the Earthquakes went 1-10-5 with the lone win coming against D.C. United on September 27, 2009 at RFK Stadium. With 22 points on the road, the Earthquakes have doubled the 11 points the team had in 2008 for the most points earned on the road since the team returned. The franchise record for points on the road in a single season is 30 points, achieved in 2005. This season, the Earthquakes had the second highest winning percentage on the road in the MLS with a .533 clip, along with FC Dallas. The Los Angeles Galaxy had the highest (.700). Finally, the six wins the Earthquakes had on the road were tied for the second most road wins along with the Seattle Sounders FC. The Los Angeles Galaxy had the most road wins in MLS with nine.

Quakes Finish the Regular Season in Top 10 in Various Statistical CategoriesThe San Jose Earthquakes finished the 2010 Major League Soccer regular season in the top 10 of a variety of statistical categories. The Earthquakes recorded the fourth best record when scoring the first goal, going an impressive 12-0-2 for a 0.929 winning percentage. The New York Red Bulls – the Earthquakes’ opponent in the Eastern Conference Semifinals – finished with the best record when scoring first, going 14-0-1 (0.967). Additionally, the Earthquakes finished sixth in goals against (33), sixth in shots on goal (140) and seventh in assists (35). Finally, the Earthquakes tallied the eighth best record in MLS when leading at half, going 7-0-2 for a winning percentage of 0.889.

History of the Quakes – New York Red Bulls RivalryThe Earthquakes had a 10-game unbeaten streak against New York from Aug. 9, 1998-July 2, 2003, posting a 6-0-4 record during that stretch … New York and San Jose had two classic shootouts in 2003 and 2004. On July 2, 2003, the Quakes and then MetroStars tied 4-4 at Giants Stadium with Landon Donovan tying the game in stoppage time. The following year, the two teams combined for 10 goals in a 5-5 tie at Spartan Stadium on May 8. Cornell Glen tied the game for New York in the final minutes … Red Bulls Designated Player Thierry Henry scored the first goal of his MLS career against San Jose on Aug. 28.

Earthquakes – New York Red Bulls ConnectionsEarthquakes defender Chris Leitch had two stints in New York, one from 2003-2004, and another from 2007-2008 … Earthquakes defender Tim Ward was selected by New York with the 12th overall pick in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft and played one season with the club (2005), appearing in 13 games and notching three assists ... New York defender Mike Petke played for one season in 2003 with D.C. United, where he played alongside current Quakes midfielder Bobby Convey ... Petke also played in 2005 with the Colorado Rapids with Quakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon ... New York midfielder Dane Richards, Quakes forward Ryan Johnson and Khari Stephenson have all played for the Jamaican national team ... New York assistant head coach Richie Williams played at D.C. United in 2000 with Bobby Convey ... Red Bulls goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul played with Joe Cannon in Colorado in 2005-2006 and Cornell Glen in 2006 ... Glen also played with New York in 2004 in his first MLS season … Quakes midfielder/defender Brandon McDonald played with Red Bulls rookie forward Conor Chinn in 2006 and 2007 at the University of San Francisco ... Quakes defender Ike Opara and midfielder Sam Cronin were teammates with Red Bulls midfielder Austin Da Luz at Wake Forest, where they won a national championship in 2008 … Red Bulls midfielder Luke Sassano has ties to the Bay Area, having played his college soccer at Cal, and he is from Orinda, Calif. … Quakes head coach Frank Yallop coached Red Bulls goalkeeper Greg Sutton with the Canadian national team from 2004-06 … New York defender Chris Albright played with San Jose defender Bobby Convey with D.C. United from 2000-2001 … Convey and Albright were both born in Philadelphia, PA … Albright also played under current San Jose coach Frank Yallop with the Los Angeles Galaxy from 2006-2007, during which time he played with San Jose goalkeeper Joe Cannon (2007) and forward Cornell Glen (2006) … New York midfielder Carl Robinson and goalkeeper Greg Sutton played with San Jose midfielder Sam Cronin with Toronto FC in 2009 … San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch was born in Queens, New York and San Jose defender Jason Hernandez was born in New York City … New York midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy went to high school in Palo Alto and played at Santa Clara University from 2004-2005 … New York defender Tim Ream and Earthquakes defender Tim Ward both attended St. Louis University … New York defender Carey Talley and San Jose defender Chris Leitch both attended the University of North Carolina … Talley also played with San Jose midfielder Bobby Convey with D.C. United (2000-2001), forward Arturo Alvarez with FC Dallas (2005), forward Ryan Johnson with Real Salt Lake (2006) and defender Bobby Burling with Chivas USA (2008-2009).

Earthquakes All-Time Leaders vs. New York Red BullsDefender Bobby Convey has one goal and six assists in 14 career appearances … Forward Ryan Johnson has three goals and two assists in seven career appearances … Forward Scott Sealy has two goals in 14 career appearances … Forward Chris Wondolowski has two goals in six career appearances … Goalkeeper Jon Busch has eight wins and four shutouts in 14 career appearances.

New York Red Bulls All-Time Leaders vs. EarthquakesDefender Chris Albright has four assists in 20 career appearances … Forward Juan Pablo Angel has one goal in five career appearances … Forward/midfielder Dane Richards has one goal and one assist four career appearances … Goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul has one win and one shutout in five career appearances.